I have a confession–I am NOT a morning person! I like sleeping-in, and for that reason, I am not usually very cheerful when I first wake up. Or a half hour after I wake up, for that matter. Luckily, I found this great article on Yahoo with tips on “morning mood boosters.” In it, Yahoo describes ten things that will help a morning mood, including:

#3. Get some fresh air: According to the article, only five minutes of fresh air and exercise (can be light, such as walking) is enough to give a temporary mood boost. Five minutes is easy–that can simply be the walk from the car to the office building, if you park a little farther away than usual. The better mood and increased alertness will be well worth a few minutes of cold.

#6: Drink hot chocolate: Delicious, sure, and full of cocoa, a natural mood lifter. These days, there are a ton of delicious diet/low calorie hot chocolate mixes as well, so you can feel happy and guilt-free!

#10 Smile: Smiling sends signals to the brain that you’re happy, and the brain reacts accordingly. Furthermore, smiling improves the moods of those around you, which may in turn make you cheer up–it’s a symbiotic relationship.

Admittedly, the “venti” coffee usually does the trick, but I’m excited to try some of these alternatives, as they’re all healthy and inexpensive. Good morning, everyone!